Horrific Tornado Kills 24 in Oklahoma

Rescue teams and emergency crews are desperately searching for survivors in Moore, OK, after a massive tornado demolished homes, businesses, a hospital and two elementary schools Monday afternoon. The deadly disaster came less than a week after powerful tornadoes killed six and flattened neighborhoods in North Texas. Although initial figures claimed 51 people had lost their lives, Oklahoma officials revised the death toll this morning to 24. More than 240 people have been injured, including 60 children, according to reports.

With winds approaching 200 mph, the National Weather Service ranked the tornado in the second most powerful category, EF4. The twister reportedly spent 40 minutes tearing through the town, directly hitting Plaza Towers Elementary School, leaving at least seven children dead and numerous survivors trapped in the schools wreckage.

You have your own kids, and you want to find other peoples kids and for it all to be OK, said firefighter Russ Locke, who searched through the elementary schools rubble. Governor Mary Fallin acknowledged the devastation in the community, stating, "We do know there are fatalities...We know there are a lot of injuries. We know we've lost a tremendous amount of structures throughout this community and throughout the state." She reassured parents whose children were still missing that rescuers would search under every single piece of debris to find their children. President Obama sent aid to Moore and said the extent of the damage remains unknown. However, Chuck Watson, director of research and development at Kinetic Analysis, a hazard assessment company, suspects the tornado damage could cost as much as $2 billion.

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